If this vision is to be realised, it expects one in 12 cars in California, Germany, Japan and South Korea to be hydrogen-fuelled by 2030 — with the rest of the world then following suit.

Further growth of hydrogen vehicle numbers beyond 2030 is anticipated, with more than 400 million cars, 15 to 20 million trucks and around five million buses expected to be using the alternative fuel by 2050.

It also expects hydrogen to contribute 20 per cent of emission reduction targets by 2050 as well, equalling a six gigaton decrease of CO2.

Takeshi Uchiyamada, chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation and co-chairman of the Hydrogen Council, said: “Hydrogen is an indispensable resource to achieve this transition because it can be used to store and transport wind, solar and other renewable electricity to power transportation and many other things.